Meet AC Expands Its Virtual Reality Experience Platform

October 9, 2018

In January of this year, Meet AC unveiled a new virtual reality (VR) experience that enables event planners, brands and prospective visitors to experience everything Atlantic City’s convention scene and visitor experience has to offer from the comfort of their chairs. Now, once again in partnership with YouVisit, the CVB has released new upgrades to the VR platform to help provide an even more engaging and enhanced visitor experience of the ocean-front city. 

New immersive features include new 360-degree guided tour stops that highlight all the fun leisure activities visitors and planners can take advantage of in the destination once their event is finished, including surfing in the Atlantic Ocean, riding the third tallest Observation Wheel in the U.S., strolling the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk, as well as checking out all the beaches, beach bars, marina and hotel properties the city has to offer.

“YouVisit is proud to expand our partnership with Meet AC this year by implementing some of our newest and most compelling features to enhance their already successful virtual visit,” said PJ Morreale, vice president of YouVisit Studios, which creates virtual experiences designed to replicate and enhance real-life experiences through rich media, including professional photos, videos and 360-degree panoramas.

He continued, “With so many incredible locations and events to pick from, Atlantic City is a perfect fit to utilize the incredible power of VR to bring their visitors even closer to all of the action. If there were ever questions about what one might do in AC after the meetings are complete, this VR tour will most assuredly answer it for them. We’re thrilled to see how Meet AC will use this experience to maximize convention bookings and visitor engagement.”

As it has since the beginning of the year, the YouVisit experience will continue to assist the Meet AC sales team in meeting their yearly room night goals while focusing on bookings at the Atlantic City Convention Center, newly opened properties and re-branded products. 

“Immersive experiences perform in ways that our photos and our floor plans have never been able to,” explained Sandi Harvey, vice president of sales for Meet AC. 

She continued, “They show the beauty of our destination and the flexibility of our facilities in 360 degrees. They make it easier to see how the flow of an event will work from an attendee perspective. They enable the viewer to learn more about the specifics of an event space in less time. But this is about more than just one event. I see this as a fundamental change in the way our industry will be doing business in the years to come.”

Another component of Meet AC’s interactive floorplans is the Meet AC app, which allows viewers to experience a custom virtual reality app of the interactive experience at the Atlantic City Convention Center, Boardwalk Hall and surrounding area. The Meet AC app that can be found in the Apple iTunes Store or Google Play Store.

Check out the enhanced “Meet Atlantic City Experience” HERE.

 

Don’t miss any event news! Sign up for any (or all) of our e-newsletters HERE & engage with us on TwitterFacebookLinkedIn & Instagram!

Add new comment

Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.